How Newcastle United 'fell in love' with teenage striker sensation Kayden Lucas

Newcastle United 'fell in love' with young striker Kayden Lucas after the 16-year-old impressed in trials on Tyneside. The youngster has been signed after only a handful of appearances for Clevedon Town Under-18s and will go into United's U18 pool for the coming season.

It's a fairytale move for the youngster, who was rejected by Exeter City as a boy, before making his way through the youth leagues in his natve South West. Newcastle scouts discovered him almost by chance, with United representatives taking in an FA Youth Cup on their way back from another match - and Lucas stood out.

While his move to the North East is just the start of what could be an exciting career, it brings to an end an impressive recovery for the striker nicknamed 'Chumpy' after rejection by Exeter. Lucas only made six appearances for Clevedon U18s, scoring nine times, as Newcastle continued to monitor his progress, before inviting him up trials.

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Clevedon coach Lee Archer told our sister title Bristol Live how the Magpies looked after Lucas and his family, and paid for an ankle operation following an injury setback before signing him on a two-year scholarship.

“He was worried about the distance, he wanted a more local club but I said to him, ‘it’s an amazing club, they’ll look after you and your family. Just go, see if you enjoy it.’" Archer said. "So he went up there for a trial, they took his mum as well, put her up in a hotel and just treated them really well and he loved it up there. Absolutely loved it.

“He came back, we talked about it, and the next time he went up on his own, which is a big thing. And they fell in love with him, they saw the potential. It was a mutual thing, they really wanted him and he enjoyed it up there, and it was a no-brainer by then.

“He’s got every attribute a striker needs - he’s big, he’s strong, he’s quick, he’s got a great left, good in the air, his attribute and what he’s like as a person, well-rounded and grounded.

“They see him as a two-three year project, which is what he needs and that’s the difference between a Premier League club and, say, clubs like Bristol City or Bristol Rovers. They have a certain amount of people they can sign of that nature but, after that, they almost need the finished article because they haven’t got the financial scope to develop people over that period of time. It might not be until Kayden’s 20 that he’s a fully-grown player. Newcastle can sit on that, whereas City and Rovers can’t.

“You could not meet a nicer kid and he deserves it. Like most of them, he’s had that rejection but it’s not affected him at all. What he’s getting is what was missing, that little bit of belief that he’s better than everyone else. He just needs that little edge, to know when he walks into that Newcastle dressing room, that he’s even better than them.

“He does believe in himself but when you go from a big fish in a small pond, up to a Premier League club, you need that even more. He will have that, because he plays with that edge but it’s maybe getting that off the pitch a little bit. This is the first step. This is where the hard work starts but he’s so up for that. There are a lot of lads who get released and they mentally give up but he never thought like that.”

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